Ozzy Osbourne

Background

Ozzy Osbourne wears many hats in the music and entertainment industry. Also known as “The Prince of Darkness,” he was born on December 3, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham. His parents were John Thomas “Jack” Osbourne and Lilian. His father worked at the General Electric Company as a toolmaker and his mother was a factory worker. He was raised together with three older sisters and two younger brothers, Jean, Iris, Gillian, Paul, and Tony. His primary school life was not easy. He suffered dyslexia and was sexually abused at the age of 11. He dropped out of school at the age of 15 and was employed as a casual laborer at a construction site. He also worked as an apprentice toolmaker, car factory horn-tuner, and abattoir worker.

“Rare Breed” was Osbourne’s first gig. After Geezer Butler formed it, he recruited Osbourne as a vocalist. After they broke the group up, Osbourne and Butler went to form “Polka Tulk Blues” together with Tony Iommi and Bill Ward. After changing their name twice, they finally settled on “Black Sabbath” in 1969. This was based on the film, “Black Sabbath.” Their music was laced with heavy blues, gloomy sounds, and lyrics. The lyrics to “Black Sabbath” came about after Butler read an occult book and started seeing dark figures at the end of the bed. Their debut album, “Black Sabbath” and “Paranoid” had massive and enduring success. In 1973, they released “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and became the first band to receive positive reviews from the mainstream press. It also became their fifth platinum-selling album.

When Osbourne left “Black Sabbath,” he went on to have a very successful solo career. He also became a reality television star after appearing on the T.V. show, “The Osbournes” as himself together with his wife, Sharon, and two of their three children, Kelly and Jack. He also starred in “Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour” with his kids.